It’s quite unfathomable to think you can actually lose weigh doing virtually nothing. Yes, it’s not a myth. Every day, calories are being burned at rest due to metabolism, a biochemical process in the body that converts the calories taken in through food and drinks into energy, by combining with oxygen. This energy is then used by the body for various functions. Not only apparent everyday activities liked walking or writing, but also those hidden functions while you’re at rest, such as blood circulation and breathing. The amount of calories being used to do these basic yet vital functions is called the basal metabolic rate, commonly known as metabolism. The basal metabolic rate varies from person to person, depending on the gender, age, body size, and body composition. Studies show that men are more prone to having their calories burned at rest as compared to women. Though one might get confused as to why a larger person loses weight quicker at rest rather than those with thin frames, it is easily understood when considering the fact that large body sized individuals tend to have more muscle mass than the latter. Therefore men, who have a larger muscle mass and less body fat, have a faster metabolic rate as compared to women. Unfortunately, age plays a factor in weight control as well. With the passage of time, the muscle mass begins to dwindle and fat starts to account for much of the body weight, thus slowing down the burning of calories. However, genetics and some other factors that vary per person do play a part in affecting ones metabolism differently. That is why some individuals really can have whatever they desire to eat and not put on weight, whereas some others cannot have a donut without adding a few pounds to their frame. In order to work out a diet plan to fit your weight goal, whether it is to lose, gain or maintain the pounds, start out with calculating your basal metabolic rate. There are calculators available online that will calculate the number of calorie burned at rest for a person of your age and height. In addition, some form of exercise that builds muscle but loses fat should be added into your plan. Generally at rest, a pound of muscle will burn up to 50 calories per day, whereas as the same amount of fat will only burn 3 calories. Add a workout, it need not be strenuous, and you’ll be burning more calories while sleeping because the metabolism will still be more active. Hence, eat well, live healthy, and then sleep happily, knowing your metabolisms doing the rest of the job for you.
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